


[On hold] Let's start the future today

by Urghhh3



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Happy Ending, M/M, Not Canon Compliant, Superfamily (Marvel), There are some mentions of mental illness, Theres drama in the beginning, They're all alive, but is dead, everyday life in the tower, mysterio has actual powers, peter is adopted by them and aunt may is happy about it, steve and tony are still new to this relationship, we have endgame and far from home
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-19
Updated: 2020-02-28
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:27:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22805542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Urghhh3/pseuds/Urghhh3
Summary: Tony did it. He has saved everyone. But the one person that he was trying to get back was still missing.With Steve next to him and the Avengers by his side, he's ready to fall back into everyday life, but war just happened and some have more trouble coping than others. And Peter? He still had to do a reality check at least once a day to make sure that Tony was in fact, not dead and sitting in front of him.
Relationships: Happy Hogan/May Parker (Spider-Man), Peter Parker & Steve Rogers & Tony Stark, Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Comments: 2
Kudos: 24





	1. I saw you dying right in front of me

**Author's Note:**

> Hello friends!  
> If you're searching for regular updates, please click away right now.  
> This fic is only for me to get over my writers block on another project and I don't know when and how much I'll update!
> 
> For everyone else,  
> enjoy!

“Nothing new?” It was the third time he asked. “Nothing new, just like 10 minutes ago, just like 20 minutes ago, just like Yesterday,” Nat looked up from the screen she was in front of. “It’s been three days Tony, you have to get some sleep. We’ll notify you instantly when we find out anything has changed. You’ll be the first one to know, but you can’t help anyone if you don’t look out for yourself,” she was worried and he had to agree that it was rightfully so.  
He has not been sleeping since they came back from space. From the last battle in which he nearly died from using the stones to finally bring an end to the war. At first they were all hesitant to even let him out of the medical area, but he couldn’t lean back, not when there was still no information at all.

The last few weeks were hard. Hard is actually an understatement. The last few weeks were like hell. He had broken up with Pepper, an mutual agreement that they were perfect together, but not as partners. She had taken their child with her for the week days and on the weekend she’d come over to his place. If things were extremely busy, she’d come over every second weekend. He also left her the hut both of them were living in and moved back into his tower. He modified it for Morgan, got her her own room. She did not spend much time in it, rather was always running around one of the other Avengers or danced around Tony, but at least she had one. After the breakup it didn’t take long for Tony to finish a machine that allowed them to time travel and soon enough they found themselves deeply into the second wave of the intergalactic war.  
He started working on it after finding a picture of Peter and himself. Peter Parker. The boy who followed him into space the first time and who vanished into dust soon after, with half of the people on earth. Peter Parker who had not too long ago left his home with his aunt to move in with the other Avengers and spend time with Tony. Peter Parker who he had become the legal guardian of, after having a talk with May and Happy, who were starting their own family. He had lost the boy to Thanos and he would get him back or die trying. And that’s what happened. He got him back in the big battle, hugged him closer than possible and decided then and there that everything he went through in the last few weeks was worth it.  
Peter Parker who had not arrived back in New York with them.  
He had saved the universe, got all the people back who vanished and he saved the boy on the battlefield, yet he had not been able to bring him home.

“I can’t sleep. Not when there’s a chance that he’s somewhere out there and still alive,” his voice was hoarse. The memories still to fresh in his mind and the pain of loosing the boy a second time too much. He had snapped his fingers and the battle was over, but right before the Doctor was about to open a portal for all of them to go back to earth, someone had grabbed Peter and pulled him through another portal. Eyes wide and mouth open, the last thing he had seen on the boys face before the portal had closed itself. He wasn’t even able to see who had grabbed him and Strange couldn’t find any trace in the future of him. He said something about a magical shield most likely surrounding both, the bad guy and Peter.

“We all worry Tony. Hell, I can’t sleep as well, but you have to at least let your body rest...” Steve moved over, bringing his arms around his waist and holding him close. Tony leaned back into the embrace, worry lessening a bit. “We’ll find him. We have people searching space for us, we have people searching the earth for us. Even a god is currently planet-hopping looking for him,” and he was right. They would find Peter, but it was hard to just wait and not being able to do anything on his own. He totally would go take a look, but Jarvis was not allowing him to start his suit, because “Mister Stark, I am asked by Mister Rogers that I am not letting you leave in your current health situation and I have to politely agree with him.”  
It’s not as if Jarvis wouldn’t let him go if he actually would order him to do so, but he knew deep down inside that they were right. He had to heal and have faith that the boy was save.

And like that, a month has passed. No sign from the boy. Tony had healed and searched earth himself, but he as well wasn’t able to find any clues on where the boy was.  
He was always keeping himself busy, searching for Peter, spending time with Steve or working on something in his lab with Banner. But the days were passing and the chances on actually finding Peter alive were growing smaller and smaller. That did not mean that he would stop searching, no. Everyone still gave their best. Thor was still controlling planets, Fury gave his men up to search every secret base they had in their system and even Pepper used her suit when Morgan was in kindergarten to check out some places. They wouldn’t stop searching until they found him, dead or alive. He would not just accept that the boy was nowhere to be found.

And with all those highly trained people out there, and the media announcing that Spiderman was missing and if he was seen to please report it, he would have never guessed to finding help in the only person he would never work with in his life.  
“So, like I said and I have said much in my life but not regarding this, so we have to focus on this, I have probably managed to find a clue concerning your little problem.” They were all standing around the visitor. Nat to his left, Steve to his right. Banner and Barton next to Steve and Lang, Barnes, Wilson next to Nat. No one said anything, they all were quite- speechless. “I did not plan on actually finding him, or I did, otherwise I wouldn’t have looked in the first place I guess, but that’s not important,” he just continued talking, clearly not minding the lack of answers. “So I was down in Europe- beautiful place to be by the way- for work. Actually I was kidnapped and held captive in Belgium, but I managed to escape quite easy. Just cut off my feet to get out of the chains,” someone next to him let out a sound of disgust, “and I ended up in the Netherlands, where somehow people thought that a guy in a red suit without feet was weird and threw me into some kinda jail and hey, you never guess who I saw there! Dutch football fans!”  
“Get to the point or I’ll make sure they’ll drop you off in the Netherlands again,” Tony had enough from Wades bullshit. If he had a clue about Peter he wanted it now. “Okay okay tin man!” he leaned back against the wall, facing them all once. “So, next to those fans there was a guy, still quite young and I thought, hey he shouldn’t be in jail? Not that I haven’t been at that age, but you get it. So I went over and asked what he was doing there and he was like >I have no clue< which is weird right? Not knowing why you’re at a police station. So I asked his name, since he was speaking English quite perfectly and he told me his name is Peter Parker, and I remembered reading the name one time I snug in here to get some Spaghetti,” - “You snug in?!” - “Not the point! So, I remembered the name and I was like >Oh! Do you know Tony Stark?< and he shrugged and said that he knew you, but Tony Stark was dead and he looked like he was about to burst into tears, so I told him that Tony Stark was indeed alive and suddenly he freaked out and tried to punch me, mumbling something about >Stop it! I know this isn’t real!< and yeah- I dropped the topic soon after.” he looked at Tony. Or at least Tony thought so, because the Mask was covering his face.  
“Peter is alive,” the words were so surreal. He looked over to Steve, finding that he was already looking back. “Where is he right now?” his head snapped back to Wilson. “Oh, he’s at my place. I got us both out of Jail and took him with me to America but I was unsure about bringing him over since he, well, he kinda seems a bit messed up, which is quite weird coming from someone who cut of his own feet like three days ago,” he laughed.

“We’ll come with you. Show us the way,” Tony already activated his suit, getting ready to go and finally get Peter back. Wade shrugged and turned around, already moving towards the Taxi he took on his way to the Stark Tower.  
It was not much of a long way, Tony flying close to the Taxi and Steve, as well as Natasha with Wade in it. His heart was beating fast while Wilson was unlocking the door. “Yo Petey, I have guests who claim to know you!” he shouted, stepping inside. Natasha waiting outside with his suit, Steve and Tony following him in. “Who is it?” a voice answered only a few seconds later and Tony knew instantly that it was Peter. And with the voice a body showed up at the end of the hallway. He did not dare to breath, his voice nearly a whisper, “Peter...”  
A bright smile forming on Peters face upon seeing Tony and Steve, taking a step into their direction, just for fear taking over a few seconds later. He took a step back again, another and another until his back was pressed against a door. His head shaking, his body as well. “No no no no no, this isn’t real. I know this isn’t real! You are dead! I saw you die!” his voice breaking and his legs giving out under him, letting him sink to the floor. Hands coming up to cover his ears. Tonys feet moved on their own, bringing him closer to the boy. “NO! Stop!” Peter nearly screamed, pain so clear in those words. “Stay away from me, I know you’re not real. You can’t hurt me,” his eyes starting to water and Tony was at a loss for words. “Hey, kiddo. I’m real, I’m here. I’m not dead…” he tried to keep his emotions down, voice gentle.  
Peter looked unsure, panic so clearly written over his face, “tell me something only the real Tony Stark could know,” there was hope somewhere in his eyes and Tonys brain worked fast to find anything at all. “The first time we met, I was over at your aunts place and I asked you to come to Germany with me and you said you couldn’t because you had homework to do,” he knew that no one else was in the room at that time, so it could only be known by Peter and him.

Not two seconds later he had the boy in his arms, stumbling back by the force of it, but pressing him against his chest without hesitation. He felt his shirt getting wet from tears and heard broken words falling from Peters lips. “You’re alive. You’re really alive. I saw you dying, over and over again. He said it was my fault, if I would just have been a little bit better I could have saved you, but I wasn’t fast enough,” Tony wasn’t sure if those words were said to him or if Peter was just trying to realize that he was in fact not dead. “I was so scared-” his voice cut off and Tonys heart was breaking. He pulled Peter even closer, pressing a kiss onto his head, “I’m alive and you’re save now. Everything is alright,” they stood in silence for a few moments. Not even Wade breaking it.  
“Let’s go home yeah?” Steve rubbed a hand over the boys back. Peter didn’t answer, instead he was just nodding, not letting go of Tony. It took another few minutes for them to finally say goodbye to Wade, Steve and Tony thanking him, and sending Happy their location to come and get them. Their way back to the tower was quiet. Peter leaning against Tony and holding Steves hand in his own. It was his way of making sure that he was not dreaming and actually having them both right next to him.


	2. Who's that?

He had no idea what to say to Tony. What could you say to a man who had lost a boy, who was like a son to him, twice already. To a man who was willing to end his own life in an intergalactic battle to safe them all. What could Steve possibly say after all of this? He had no idea.  
He himself had been worried to no end after Peter had been kidnapped in space. It all went incredibly fast and no one was able to actually react before the portal closed behind them. He spent way too much time staring at cameras all over the world, hoping that one had the boy on it, yet there were many countries and even more cities. It was a losing battle.  
When Deadpool suddenly barged in, he was expecting a lot, but not that he had found Peter, in Europe, in jail, mentally broken. Peter was asleep against Tony now, all the weight on his shoulders lifted and sleep just taking over not even five minutes on the road, and Tony had his eyes focused on him. Probably to make sure the boy would not just vanish between his hands again. They both had to face so much over so little time, Steve wished he could take some of their pain away. His mind went back to how he felt himself the moment Bucky vanished. He had lost his brother, his best friend and his soulmate that day, but losing a son? Twice? That could not have been easy.

Instead of saying anything, he grabbed Tonys hand, softly intertwining their fingers. A warm rush going through his body, their whole thing was still fresh and they haven't really had much time to explore it yet, so seeking contact was still new and intense. Tony looked up, a soft smile forming on his face and Steve felt like he was finally able to breath again since all of this had started over five years ago. Tony was alive and next to him, Peter was safe. All their shared friends slowly got used to actually living again, some easier, some not. But all of them were finally safe and the world was safe and he had been part of this war for way too many years, and he finally allowed himself to think about his own future instead of the safety of a world who was against all of them more times than happy they saved their asses.

“We’ve arrived. Do you need me to bring you inside or can I go and get May now?” Happy looked back over his shoulder from the front. The car stopping at the tower. “We’ll bring him up, don’t worry. But he’s sleeping now. How about you and May come in about two hours? We should have him rest for a bit, I think he needs it,” Steve looked over to Tony while speaking and realized that not only Peter needed those two hours of rest but Tony too. The dark circles under his eyes much more prominent now that their mind wasn’t on the boys rescue anymore. Happy nodded in agreement and waited for all three to get out until he drove off. Steve shortly heard him mumble something about how the hell he was supposed to hold May down for two hours, but shortly after he was away already.  
Bucky looked up from the couch in the living room, next to him Natasha, looking over to them as well. They looked like they were about to talk, when they saw Peter sleeping against Steves chest. Tony was quite strong in his suit, but without it he left Steve to lift heavy stuff, including humans.  
Tony gave them a short notice that they’d talk after bringing Peter to his room, and that’s where they were headed shortly after. He put the boy down gently, watching as Tony spread out a blanket over him. Peter was still dressed in clothing way too big, probably lend from Deadpool, and he had a few quite ugly looking scratches all over his face, but they could take care of it all after the boy had some rest. “Jarvis, keep an eye on him please. Notify us instantly if something changes or if he wakes up,” Tony whispered, but Jarvis still took up on it and agreed. That’s one thing he would probably never really get used to. Maybe because he spent so much time without all of that tech, but even Natasha said once that she didn’t understand half the shit Tony owned, especially not an AI as intelligent as Jarvis.

It was still weird sometimes anyway. It’s not as if he had been able to catch up to todays society in those few years. Yes, he knew a lot already and he sometimes had more random knowledge on things than any adult was supposed to have, but who was he to judge whether the internet gave him actually important knowledge or random stuff that no one needs to know. Tony had helped him figure out quite a lot. He knew how to use a smartphone, he finally knew the basic idea behind WiFi and mobile data, and he was quite proud to know that you don’t send out a text message by sms but instead use whatsapp. Not that he actually used that one, because Tony had them all on a private messager app which used secured lines and did not safe all their personal data. He had only touched the surface on that whole Facebook drama going on and decided that he would not need to know about it and just went back on using the Stark messager.

After quietly leaving Peters room they both went back to Bucky and Nat. Sinking onto the soft couch pillows as well. “So, how’s the spider boy doing?” Bucky looked from Steve to Tony and back to Steve. “He’s well, at least from what we can see right now. He has some small wounds, which should get better soon thanks to his healing, but mentally...” Tony stopped talking. Steve took over, “he was scared?” he stopped as well, thinking about how to explain it, “when we arrived he had quite the breakdown, talking about how he had seen Tony die over and over again and when I remember correctly he also said that whoever had kidnapped him, said it was his fault that Tony hadn’t survived… He had Tony tested, asking him about something only the both of them could know before he trusted us,” Bucky and Nat were silent for a few moments. The implication of what that boy had been through hanging in the air. “Part of me wants to find the guy who kidnapped him and rip him apart and the other part knows that it’s probably not possible when not even Strange was able to locate the both of them last time,” Nat said. Anger clearly written on he face, but also worry. They were all worried. How would Peter react once he wakes up again. Will he tell them about what had happened or will he keep quiet about it?

While they all were ripped apart for five years and much has changed, they all were able to connect again after the final battle. It’s been month already, but Peter had not seen any of them since back then. He had spend five years as dust, woken up, fought a battle too big for any of them and had been kidnapped right after. Tony still checked his back after every second step, when walking alone through the night. He still woke up in cold sweat sometimes, remembering the cold place he had been in when he was kidnapped. And Bucky too. They all had faced it at some point, but Peter was still a kid. Yes, he was growing up and soon he was legally an adult as well, but for now, that boy was a child. It’s harsh how the world makes no difference between children and adults when it comes to suffering.  
Steve wrapped an arm around Tony, pulling him closer and relaxing a bit more when he leaned against him. “He will be safe from now on. We’ll make sure of it,” Tony said and while no one answered out loud, all four of them knew that they’d go beyond earth to make sure that that boy would finally be able to rest a bit.

“Mister Stark, May Parker and Happy have arrived. Should I ask them to come to you?” Jarvis broke the silence and Steve wondered shortly how long they had been sitting like that, for the two hours to be over already, while Tony agreed to have them come up.  
The elevator doors opened not much later and May came in, “Believe me. If I hadn’t already let it all out back when he vanished last time, I’d rip you apart Stark!” she build herself up in front of Tony and Steve. “I’m glad to see you happy and healthy,” Tony stood up, “I’ll go wake up Peter so you can see him.”  
They all knew that May wasn’t actually angry, she was more worried than anything. She had been angry at Tony for quite some time back when Peter vanished into dust, but even she knew that this was out of Tonys hands. And again with this time. She knew that Tony was never intentionally hurting Peter, that’s why she allowed him to become the boys legal guardian in the first place, but after all Peter was still her child too. She took care of him when his parents died and she watched him grow up into the boy he is now.  
After Peter and Tony returned, Peter stopped in the door frame, doing the same thing with May he did with Tony not too long ago. “Tell me something only you and I can know,” he asked her. May stopped in her tracks for a few seconds, a bit confused, but complied. “When you asked that girl out to Prom, we both practiced dancing in the living room and looked like total idiots,” and seconds later she also had Peter in her arms, embracing him.

“I’m so thankful to finally have you back,” tears were streaming down her face, but it looked like she didn’t care and everyone in the room understood. They were apart for way too long.  
After a long hug and some more tears they finally moved apart. May gently pushed Peter down onto the couch, Tony sitting down on the other side again, right next to Steve. “What happened?” May asked and Steve retold the story about how Deadpool suddenly came and told them that he had found Peter in the Netherlands.  
Peter nodded. “Right, I got hit by the train and the next time I opened my eyes I was in some weird village I can’t pronounce and Wade took me back to America.” - “You got hit by a train?!” May nearly shouted in shook, and if she wouldn’t have done it, Steve was pretty sure one of them would have in her place. “Yeah. I can’t really remember much of it, I think I was knocked out quite quickly,” he said. Shrugging. His voice was calm, way too calm for someone talking about getting hit by a train after being kidnapped. Steve had no clue what to say now. That seemed to be his thing today. Not knowing what to say to the people around him who have gone through some traumatic experiences. “I’m just glad to know that you’re actually alive,” Peter said, looking up to Tony.

And as far as Steve was able to tell, he wasn’t the only one who had no clue what to say because Tony looked like he was at a loss of words as well. Which was probably the first time in many years.  
“Dad!” a small voice suddenly cut through the silence and a little girl came running from the elevator, right into Tonys arms. After her, much more calm, came Pepper. “It’s your turn this weekend. But-” her eyes moved to Peter and May, “-If it’s currently a bit hard to make it work, I can reschedule and you can take her another day?”  
There was clear confusion in Peters face at the little girl in Tonys lap. _“Who’s that?”_


End file.
